Tomato Soup with Roasted Garlic and Seasonal Herbs

I have a new love, and his name is Tomato Soup. Yes, good old humble Tomato Soup has turned out to be a real friend to me during these long, cold February days. First we were getting together on weekends, when my husband was around to share a meal with us. But soon, we were meeting for weekday lunches, just the two of us. Eventually, I found myself tidying up afterward, hiding–or sometimes even eating–all the evidence that Tomato Soup had ever been in the house. I wanted to keep him all to myself.

But I realize now how selfish I’ve been. After all, couldn’t we all use a little comfort on these chilly winter days? And besides, I owe the scrumptiousness of my new love to an old one, one who deserves proper recognition:

Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes. These tomatoes make everything taste good, turning plain old tomato soup into the smoky, tantalizing Tomato Soup of my dreams. The middle of winter is no time for fresh tomatoes, but fire roasted tomatoes make the perfect bowl of tomato soup possible any time of year.

The only drawback to Muir Glen is the price tag: Each can costs $1.99 at my local supermarket, and my recipe uses two, making it cheaper to buy packaged tomato soup than to make it (though homemade tastes much, much better). Since I’ve been making this soup a lot, I created a second, less expensive version using a 99 cent can of organic tomatoes that I roasted briefly in my oven. The soup takes a little longer to make this way, but it tastes just as good as the Muir Glen version, at a quarter of the cost. So if you’re unable to find Muir Glen or unwilling to pay the high price, I’ve included instructions on roasting your own canned tomatoes.

(Update: After writing this post, I discovered that I could buy Muir Glen tomatoes at Amazon for much less per can. I now use Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program to have them delivered to me at regular intervals.)

I’m fortunate to have a few herbs that grow in my garden all year long, and though rosemary, oregano, and parsley may not be the traditional combination used in tomato soup, they add a hint of spring to the soup, while roasted garlic adds a delicious mellow taste that doesn’t overwhelm the other herbs. Feel free to use whatever fresh herbs you have available, or use a teaspoon or two of dried herbs, such as basil and oregano. But watch out–you may find yourself having a love affair with Tomato Soup, too!

Tomato Soup with Roasted Garlic and Seasonal Herbs

Roasted garlic gives this soup a wonderfully deep flavor, so before you begin, wrap an entire head of garlic in aluminum foil and roast it at 400F until it is tender, about 30 minutes. Let it cool, cut off the papery stem end, and then squeeze the garlic out of the individual cloves. Save the leftover cloves to add to other dishes or to spread on toast to make oil-free garlic bread.

Course Soup

Cuisine Vegan

Prep Time10minutes

Cook Time20minutes

Total Time30minutes

Servings4

Calories82kcal

AuthorSusan Voisin

Ingredients

1/2large onionchopped

1ribcelerychopped

114.5-ounce canMuir Glen Fire-Roasted diced tomatoessee Notes*

114.5-ounce canMuir Glen Fire-Roasted crushed tomatoessee Notes*

1 1/2cupsvegetable broth

1tablespoonfresh oreganoor 1 teaspoon dried

1teaspoonfresh rosemaryor 1/2 teaspoon dried

1/8teaspooncayenneor to taste

4-6clovesroasted garlic

1tablespoonminced fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

1/2-1teaspoonagave nectar or sugaroptional

4tablespoonsplain non-dairy yogurtoptional, but good

Instructions

Sauté the onion and celery in a medium non-stick saucepan. When the onion is translucent, add the tomatoes, broth, oregano, rosemary, and cayenne. Simmer on very low heat for 10 minutes.

Transfer half of the soup to the blender, add the roasted garlic, and puree until fairly smooth. If you’d like a chunky soup, add the blended half back to the pot. For a smoother soup, blend the rest of the soup and return it to the pot.

Add the parsley and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Taste the soup, and if it is too acidic, add a little agave nectar or sugar, just enough to take the edge off. Ladle into 4 bowls, and stir a tablespoon of soy yogurt into each. Serve with croûtons, if desired.

Recipe Notes

*You can also use two cans of diced tomatoes, rather than one crushed and one diced. The crushed tomatoes give a slightly creamier texture, but if you plan to blend the soup completely, it doesn't make any difference.

You can also make the soup with regular canned tomatoes that you roast yourself. The procedure is a little different, and you will need to replace the fire-roasted tomatoes with the following:

1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes (or or 2 14.5-ounce cans)

1-2 tablespoons tomato paste

Preheat oven to 450F. Line a jelly roll pan or baking sheet (the kind with a rim) with parchment paper. Drain–and reserve–all the liquid from the tomatoes. Cut each tomato in half and place it on the baking sheet. If any liquid has pooled on the sheet, pour it off and save it as well. Put the pan into the oven and roast for 25 minutes.

While the tomatoes are roasting, sauté the onion and celery in a medium saucepan. When the onion begins to brown, add the tomato paste (1 tablespoon if you’re using double-strength, 2 if it’s regular paste) and stir for 1 minute. Add the broth and stir in the oregano and rosemary. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Then, pour it into a blender along with the garlic and puree until smooth. Put it back into the pan and keep warm until tomatoes are ready.

When the tomatoes are cooked, remove them from the cooking sheet and put them into the blender, along with the reserved tomato juice. Blend until smooth. Pour into the pot with the onion mixture, stir in the cayenne, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Taste the soup, and if it is too acidic, add a little agave nectar or sugar, just enough to take the edge off. Ladle into 4 bowls, and stir a tablespoon of soy yogurt into each before serving.

Comments

This looks absolutely amazing! I’ve been looking for a good tomato soup recipe and this is the best one I’ve seen yet. Is the 1 flex point for the version with agave nectar and yoghurt?

Dominique

5:39 PM, February 27, 2008 ———————— Courtney said…

I LOVE tomato soup, and have been looking for a good homemade version forever. I cannot wait to try this! Thank you so much Susan for sharing this recipe!

Courtney

5:50 PM, February 27, 2008 ———————— SusanV said…

Dominique, yes, the 1 point includes everything except the croutons.

Courtney, I hope you love it as much as I do!

5:53 PM, February 27, 2008 ———————— Wendy said…

You have the first step as “Sauté the onion and garlic in a medium non-stick saucepan.”

Maybe you mean the onion and celery instead? Because it appears the roasted garlic is added in a later step.

This sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try it!

6:15 PM, February 27, 2008 ———————— SusanV said…

Thanks for catching that, Wendy. I’ve just made the correction.

6:20 PM, February 27, 2008 ———————— Kalyn said…

They are a bit pricey, but I absolutely LOVE those fire-roasted tomatoes from Muir Glen. The soup looks delicious!

BTW, I am so glad I’m not the only who makes mistakes and has to correct when a reader gently points out the mistake. That has been happening to me rather frequently lately! Luckily they are so nice about it!

7:28 PM, February 27, 2008 ———————— Scott Hughes said…

I like to use tomato soup to make green bean casseroles with French fried onions. For that, I usually use pre-made soup. If I make my own soup using your recipe, I will probably just eat the soup. It seems like it would be good.

9:11 PM, February 27, 2008 ———————— herbivore said…

Oh man. I love those tomatoes. They are great in homemade salsas as well. mmm. I am going to make this before it warms up too much:)

I looove the Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes and tomato soup in the winter! I know you don’t really do nut butters too much, but makign peanut stew with fire roasted tomatoes, brown rice and little, chile, garlic, onion and some greens is amazing 🙂 Ooh, now I might have to post abotu that myself!

9:24 PM, February 27, 2008 ———————— SallyT said…

So, I’m wondering how the ETL is going–and how about the green smoothies? I guess I’m looking for inspiration.

9:49 PM, February 27, 2008 ———————— OpenID shellyfish said…

Burr! I just haven’t warmed up since my run in the pouring rain this morning…this delicious soup may just help me get toasty. It sounds delish and looks beautiful! Cheers!

2:44 AM, February 28, 2008 ———————— Emilia said…

That´s a great picture.

Tomatosoup is one of my favorite foods as well, actually almost everything with tomatoes is to my liking. I´ll have to try this recipe.

6:13 AM, February 28, 2008 ———————— Veggie Cookster said…

Mmm… I’ll gladly have an affair with Mr. Tomato Soup. He’s always been one of my favs… a good ol’ standby when I need a little comfort. I haven’t seen the fire-roasted tomatoes in my area, I’ll have to look for them. They and the soup sound wonderful! Thanks for sharing. 🙂

6:37 AM, February 28, 2008 ———————— Ricki said…

Soup is the perfect meal for lunch on a cold winter’s day. . . I think this could sustain me until April!

6:59 AM, February 28, 2008 ———————— pille said…

Nice to meet you. An article of the cooking of your site served as a reference very much.

I linked to your site from my blog. I am glad if I have you link to my blog.

i was thinking about making a tomato soup today. you must have read my mind!

12:25 PM, February 28, 2008 ———————— Lyra said…

Susan, this photo is beautiful. Wonderful food styling there:)

3:30 PM, February 28, 2008 ———————— Kevin said…

This tomato soup sounds really good! It has been a while since I have had tomato soup.

7:51 PM, February 28, 2008 ———————— missblueberry said…

Tomato Soup has a genuine memory power for me. It was always the comfort my mom would offer me when I was home sick from school. She would often pair it with a grilled cheese sandwich.

These days, I still go for the tomato soup comfort, but, being vegan, opt for a grilled bit of nice seedy bread rather then the grilled cheese – works just as well.

It has been a while though Susan, so thanks for the memory….

Excellent photos – as always!!

11:54 PM, February 28, 2008 ———————— katie said…

point 1: that soup sounds really good.

point 2: i covet that bowl!

9:14 AM, February 29, 2008 ———————— OpenID coulditbeseitan said…

I love to see a simple dish done with a gourmet vegan twist – it sounds so comforting. Next rainy day that comes around, I’m trying this recipe! Also, thank you so much for linking to my blog!

11:09 AM, February 29, 2008 ———————— nehaj said…

Oh, you.

It has been snowing here for a while, and I have been craving tomato basil soup for a week. Fresh tomatoes are so expensive..this is a great idea.

Thank you.

6:39 PM, February 29, 2008 ———————— Jo. said…

Very well plated. The soup looks so so delicious and comforting 🙂

12:57 PM, March 01, 2008 ———————— OpenID vegeyum said…

I love soup, and yours sounds great. I wonder whether roasting your own tomatoes would work just as well?

4:12 PM, March 01, 2008 ———————— SusanV said…

Certainly, vegeyum! Roasted fresh tomatoes are always my first choice, but good tomatoes are just not to be found in my part of the world right now. I roast a lot of my own tomatoes during the summer, though, and they would be terrific in this soup.

4:47 PM, March 01, 2008 ———————— ChocolateCoveredVegan said…

Hehe I love the commentary. The soup looks good too :o).

7:18 PM, March 01, 2008 ———————— OpenID xintriel said…

This was fantastic! I had a can of plum tomatoes and as soon as I read it I just had to try it. I used a whole bulb of roasted garlic and added roasted red pepper as well and it turned out delicious. Thanks. 😀

8:59 PM, March 02, 2008 ———————— It’s all about passion for cooking said…

Some gr8 recipes here. Thanx for sharing. Your I food looks good and I m sure I can say same for the taste as well..Keep up the good work.

12:51 AM, March 03, 2008 ———————— ~M said…

Hi Susan!

This is perfect for our menu this week. I have been looking for a non-dairy tomato soup and I can’t wait to try this! Instead of croutons, my fiancé brilliantly suggested that we tear apart Van’s allergy-friendly (non-sweetened) gf waffles. Grilling some polenta cubes like in your Fava and Fennel soup or like Heidi’s potato croutons might also work well.

I am posting before I actually get a chance to make this soup since I found some good deals on Muir Glen products, and their products are amazing! Actually, I just bought an entire case of their marinara sauce (12 bottles) while I was at Whole Foods yesterday so I can make lots of your amazing lasagna, which everyone adores! 🙂 The marinara was on sale yesterday for $2.99/bottle (at least in MA), and you get an additional 5% if you buy a case! (Note: Amazon Grocery doesn’t currently carry Muir Glen marinara sauce).

14.5 oz cans of Muir Glen’s fire roasted tomatoes were also on sale yesterday for $1.34 at Whole Foods. However, I also found that Amazon Grocery (free shipping for prime, or free shipping over $25) is having a special on Muir Glen this March. With Amazon Grocery, you have to buy a case (but it’s so nice having it delivered, especially when there is a good deal and the item is heavy). Currently, a 12-pack of 14.5 oz cans costs $21.40 or $1.78/can from Amazon. Additionally (this is the March deal), if you spend $49 or more on any combination of eligible Muir Glen products on Amazon, you get a $20 instant savings when you use this coupon code: MUIRGLE3. I am moving this summer, so this deal would give me too many tomatoes, but I thought I would pass it on!

Happy organic tomatoes the year-round!

6:28 AM, March 03, 2008 ———————— Anonymous said…

Susan, my first experience making this recipe involved my own unique comedy of errors. First of all, the Muir Glen tomatoes were on sale at my co-op. When I took them off the shelf without my glasses on, I was confident I had selected the right ones. Later on, at home, making the soup, cans open and about to go into the pan, I realized I had gotten fire toasted diced tomatoes with medium green chiles. While my taste buds like the heat, the nerves in my face do not, so, with my glasses ON, I began a valiantly futile and hilarious attempt to ameliorate the situation by picking out as many green chiles as I could find, which had me cracking up at myself as I went. When the friend I had invited over for lunch arrived, we laughed anew about this. Since I didn’t have any soy yogurt, I served the soup with some of your homemade tofu sour cream from the eggplant papkikash recipe, and it was a big hit, though still a little spicy for me. It was part of a special lunch for her on an important life anniversary. so we also had some of your asparagus pesto salad on a bed of greens, and that great chocolate peppermint pudding for dessert. A meat-eater, she left for an afternoon of meetings at work with a figgy bar in hand for later, raving about the food and asking me to send her a link to your website. So all’s well that end’s well! Thanks for the great recipes, and the attendant cooking adventures they bring along with them.

5:47 PM, March 03, 2008 ———————— Sanne said…

I have to try and make this raw, it looks delicious.

8:23 AM, March 04, 2008 ———————— ReneeK said…

I found Hunt’s Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic in the store that were more reasonably priced than the Muir Glen. I’ll be trying your soup tonight.

8:44 AM, March 04, 2008 ———————— Anonymous said…

So I saw this recipe a few days ago and said to myself “wow, that looks fantastic…will have to try it if and when Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes ever go on sale”…then I was in the grocery store picking up a few things and lo and behold, Muir Glen tinned tomatoes were on sale for $1 a can. I’ve never bought 10 cans of tomatoes all at once (the sale was limit 10, so that’s why the random number!), and I got a wierd look from the cashier when I announced I was making soup with it all, but it was so totally worth it!!! This soup rocks! I added just a touch of smoked paprika to it (I’ve been putting it in everything lately), but it was awesome either way! I made a small test batch first, and then promptly made a huge batch to freeze for future lunches–thanks for such a tasty recipe!

1:57 PM, March 06, 2008 ———————— Anonymous said…

This soup was very spicy for me. Did your daughter kid-approve it? Next time, I will use less red pepper.

1:05 PM, March 07, 2008 ———————— SusanV said…

Anonymous–I’m so sorry! The amount that I had before was wrong; I would never use half a teaspoon of cayenne and expect my daughter to eat it. I’ve changed the recipe. I hope you’ll be able to dilute the soup enough to eat it. Maybe add another can of tomatoes?

1:16 PM, March 07, 2008 ———————— Anonymous said…

Hi! I’m curious to know why you chose to use two different styles of tomatoes, one diced and one crushed. What kind of effect does that have on the recipe? Thanks!

1:17 PM, March 07, 2008 ———————— SusanV said…

The crushed tomatoes are like a combination of tomatoes and sauce; they have a much thicker consistency than the diced tomatoes. That’s why in the version using home-roasted tomatoes, I include tomato paste.

Of course, you could use two cans of diced tomatoes and just add some tomato paste, too.

1:31 PM, March 07, 2008 ———————— Karina said…

I just posted a vegan roasted tomato soup- and linked to this recipe- yours looks delicious- as always!

3:40 PM, March 10, 2008 ———————— Red Headed Mama said…

I was walking the aisles at Whole Foods, and saw the Glen Muir FIre Roasted Tomatoes! I knew I HAD to make your tomato soup recipe, but didn’t have the ingredients memorized.

I thought, hey, I’ll look it up on my BlackBerry, and figure out what other ingredients I should pick up. Except, there was NO SIGNAL INSIDE THE STORE. I stood next to the glass window, trying desperately to connect to your page. I finally abandoned my shopping cart, and walked outside. EUREKA!

I was so happy I did. They didn’t carry the “crushed” version, so I got a huge can of the “diced” and it worked out very well. I also couldn’t find fresh oregano, and found that using dried was a bit strong (you might want to use less than a tablespoon if you are using dried.)

Since I was cooking a veggie version, as opposed to vegan (blush, I know!) I used creme fraiche instead of the soy yogurt. It was SO GOOD.

i wish we had these tins in the uk, but your tips solve the problem (well, if I could afford to use the oven – costs a LOT more to use gas/electricity in the UK).

Found your FABULOUS blog via anna at twelve22.org (a friend and food inspiration guru). I love that you have the gluten free tag, i’ve struggled for so long to find tasty (planty non tasty) recipes that are dairy AND gluten free and your blog has answered my prayers. At last, some variety in my diet. And they are mostly all very easy, pretty fast and look to be incredibly yummy. So thank you, thank you for sharing.

10:24 PM, March 28, 2008 ———————— ReneeLynn said…

I made this soup twice now and it’s one of my favorites! Thank you for all of the little steps and pictures. I can’t wait to make it this season!

4:11 PM, September 28, 2008 ———————— Danielle said…

Hi Susan!

My New Year’s Resolution this year is to reform my health–I’m starting to train for my first 5K, and I’m taking the plunge into a vegetarian diet! I found your blog through a user at the LiveJournal group Bento Lunch. Such wonderful food! I will be making this as my first vegetarian meal. I haven’t made the switch yet because I’m trying to get rid of all my meat products, and I don’t want them to waste. Thanks for the great recipe!

10:44 PM, January 12, 2009 ———————— Anonymous said…

Just made this using the latter technique, beautiful! Left out the agave and soy yoghurt because I love that fresh tomato taste Hmmm 🙂

I’m surprised the multitudes of lazy and busy cooks have been silent on the issue of, “What if I just don’t have the time to roast my tomatoes?”

I had some regular diced tomatoes on the brink of going bad in my fridge, so I googled “vegan tomato soup,” and unsurprisingly, your blog came up first. (I don’t know why I bother googling recipes at all when I just about always end up using yours!) I figured I’d give it a shot with what I had. Conclusion: this soup tastes wonderful even without the roastiness. I can only imagine how much better it would be if I’d followed the recipe properly! I didn’t even bother to blend it because I am that lazy this morning. Added some vegan parmesan on top, toasted some bread, and bam, Sunday morning breakfast in 20 minutes.

Our whole family loves this soup. We have made it with different variations….. added chili powder and diced green chilies and omitted the rosemary tonight, added whit beand right before blending made it nice and thick. No matter what I do to it it is always great!

Wow, this one is a winner. Came out amazing! I found only whole fire roasted tomatoes so I fished them out and cut them myself, then purred the soup. I used water instead of veg broth and dried spices. I also added a whole wheat elbow pasta (that I cooked separately).

I just made this today as it was perfect on a cool crisp day. I had some dried chipolte peppers I added instead of cayenne and it is WONDERFUL! Even my traditional tomato loving soup husband enjoyed this! I definitely will be making this again. Thank you 🙂

I made this yesterday since we finally had some temperature drops here in California. And my beloved raved about it! He said I’m set, I can eat this every day for winter. I modified it a bit: I replaced the can tomatoes with vacuum sealed blended tomatoes from the garden 2 years ago, substituted 1 cup of the broth water with almond milk with a broth paste for a thicker consistency and added a handful of fresh basil. He said it was more like a tomato bisque.